


For The First Time I Knew

by HeavenDontHaveAName



Category: Eminem (Musician), Machine Gun Kelly (Musician)
Genre: Apologies, Fluff, M/M, kells being a great dad, soft em
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:08:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavenDontHaveAName/pseuds/HeavenDontHaveAName
Summary: Marshall sees Colson at a coffee shop with Casie. He realizes what a good dad the younger rapper is and immediately becomes smitten. After their first encounter, Marshall wants to contact the other man, hopefully to find out that he had had a similar affect on Colson.
Relationships: Colson Baker | Machine Gun Kelly/Eminem
Comments: 11
Kudos: 63





	1. #1 Dad

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to make this a very short one shot but I fell in love with this plot so it's gonna be a big story.  
> Hope it's good! :)

Marshall hated Los Angeles. The "City of Angels" was more like the city of paparazzi. You could barely leave your house without immediately having a camera shoved in your face and waking up the next day to a pointless Daily Mail article about how you went to the studio, or where you went for coffee, or what you were wearing or if you did or didn't leave the house. It was unbearable. 

The rapper was only in town for a few days. He'd gone to meet up with a friend of his who had written a screenplay that Marshall had liked so much, he had wanted to participate in the making of the film. 

It was his third of five days there and he decided that staying indoors, running on his treadmill, writing lyrics and face-timing his daughters, was getting tiring. There was no point in hiding from the cameras, there'd probably be articles whether he went out for coffee of not. At least this way he'd have some coffee to enjoy. 

He put the hoodie closest to him on, his cap, got his keys and wallet and left. There were already paparazzi waiting on the other side of the street. He avoided them and walked to the nearest coffee shop, hoping to be able to avoid anyone talking to him. 

He entered a place that looked a bit empty and ordered his coffee. Realizing no one had followed him he sat down to drink. He looked around, taking in his surroundings and what he saw almost made him choke on his drink. More specifically, who he saw. 

Machine Gun fucking Kelly was there. He quickly noticed the younger rapper wasn't alone, a young kid was also with him. She was probably his daughter, they had the same kind of energy, and were both very focused on their conversation. Kelly's daughter was talking avidly, telling some story that Marshall was too far away to hear. He did however notice how attentively her dad was listening to her, laughing and nodding sometimes. That was sweet. Marshall thought about his own daughters, how much he loved them. 

He remembered Hailie and Kelly's tweet. He felt a bit of anger but it dissolved when he saw the huge smile the other man had because of his little girl. He hated to admit it to himself, but Colson seemed like a great dad. 

After Killshot, Marshall tried to simply go back to his life, but he was curious. He barely knew anything about the man he'd dissed other than the tweet he'd written, the tattoos he had and that he had a daughter. He googled him and found out about the younger mans bad family life, his real name, how much he loved Cleveland and as many other things Google would tell him. 

He had thought about what would ever happen if they were ever to meet, somehow. The rapper wasn't expecting to feel sympathy, a sort of understanding. He got the whole family issues thing and "i love my daughter(s) more than anyone else" thing and it made him feel connected to Colson. Marshall wanted to move closer, listen to what the pair was talking about, maybe even settle the beef for once and for all. 

Marshall got up and sat at the booth directly next to Colson's. Hopefully, he wouldn't be recognized by any fan. If he was going to talk to Kelly, he wanted to be in complete control of the situation. 

Finally, he could hear the conversation. The daughter was going on about her dads new song and the music video, Bloody Valentine. Right, he remembered. Megan Fox was in it and apparently she and the girls dad were dating. That thought made Marshall feel weird. 

"How about you help direct my next music video, princess?" 

Marshall finally heard Colson's voice. Despite having heard the other rappers diss track and a couple of his interviews, that voice seemed unfamiliar to him, strange even. It was filled with love and warmth. He saw Casie bounce up and down in her seat with happiness. How adorable. Maybe Colson wasn't that bad. He seemed like a completely different person from Machine Gun Kelly, or maybe just different from Marshall's perspective on Kelly. 

He saw a group of teenage girls on the opposite side of the cafe look at him and whisper among themselves. Oh shit. Now they'd go up to him and the other man would know he was there and whatever happened would be filmed by a bunch of annoying teenagers. That was abso-fucking-lutely not being in control of the situation. 

Whatever he did would probably be on camera now. He got up and tried to leave, but the girls swarmed him, asking for an autograph. He managed to get out of their clutches soon enough, but decided to look back and take one last look at the other rapper. 

Colson was looking at him, confused as hell. Where had Marshall just come from? Had he purposely ignored him? And why was he just standing there, beside the door, not leaving, just staring at him. What confused the younger artist even more was that Marshall didn't look mad or aggressive. His face wasn't blank and unreadable like usual. 

Marshall was looking straight into his eyes, a ghost of a smile on his lips. The idea of him making his old idol almost smile brought a happy look to Colson's face and he couldn't stop himself from flashing his elder a smile. 

At that, Marshall turned around and walked right out the door. He jogged home and got ready for lunch with his friend who he'd come all the way to L.A. to see. All the man could think about was pretty Colson had looked smiling at him. He felt proud that he, Marshall Mathers, had managed to make a father that good and a man that handsome look so happy. 

Not just any man. Colson Baker. His formal rival and currently the only person occupying Marshall's thoughts. Well, him and that smile of his. 

Getting dressed for lunch, as he locked the door to his rental home, Marshall thought to himself, as soon as he could, he'd try and contact the younger rapper. He didn't know what he was going to say or anything else. But he did know that he wanted to see that smile again, and most of all, he wanted to be the reason it appeared.


	2. When Marshall Met Colson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marshall is determined to meet with Colson and make peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm way too invested in this pairing lmao.  
> Hope this is good :)

Lunch went well. Marshall's friend was a great writer and the screenplay was incredible. Instead of acting in the film, his friend had asked him to help produce and he had happily accepted. 

It was hard for him to focus, but he was in a great mood. His friend had commented a bunch of times on how well-disposed he was and how great it was to see him so smiley. 

Once lunch was over Marshall called Diddy. He had signed the younger rapper and would probably help in arranging a way for the two to meet. Diddy suggested Marshall going over to Kelly's home studio but meeting at Colson's home would make it difficult for Marshall to have complete control over the situation.

The older rapper ended up with Kelly's number and a nervous feeling in his chest. Should he just text him to meet up? Or should he try and meet him under a professional setting, just to surprise the rapper? 

\-- 

Marshall couldn't sleep that night. He was still wondering what to do. It annoyed him how affected he was by the younger rapper. Even if he did somehow like him, a fact which he couldn't deny anymore, this feeling was so strong, so consuming, he was dazed. How could he have gone from hating Colson to being controlled by thoughts of him smiling at him? 

He decided to get up and get a coffee. Hopefully some cafe was still open. Maybe the fresh air and the caffeine would help him think clearly. 

Walking out, with his usual hoodie and cap on, Marshall walked to the coffee shop he'd seen Colson. Sitting down at the table he'd sat at earlier he finally look around. The cafe was basically empty except for a couple of teenagers, whispering away in a corner, and a blonde man with his head on a table. Beside that man was a cup of coffee and a notebook. 

Marshall got lost in his thoughts, remembering how Colson had also sat at that table, and how his hair was similar. He filled with unease. Was that... him? 

He got up and quickly walked over, afraid that if he'd hesitate he'd cut and run. Scrapping the chair in front of the man loudly, he sat down. The blonde immediately stirred. Fuck. It was him. Colson Baker.

\-- 

Colson woke up suddenly, to a loud noise. When he managed to open his eyes and get used to the lighting surrounding him, he realized he was face to face with Marshall Mathers. 

"What the fuck?"

Marshall laughed lowly. Colson's shock was so endearing. His mouth was agape with surprise. The younger man had spent the day thinking that maybe he hadn't seen Marshall that morning, because he couldn't think of a logical explanation for their exchange and for how happy he was during it. He was convinced that he had been day-dreaming, something he did often. But now, with his old idol in front of him, laughing and good-natured, he had no way of denying how he felt.

"How are you kid?"

"Wha-what?" Colson was still reeling from the shock. After their beef, how could the rapper be so casual, so calm?

"You do speak English, right? I asked how you are." Marshall was trying hard not to smile. How much more adorable could Colson get without him feeling his heart about to burst of adoration? Definitely not much he thought, an odd warmth spreading through his chest. 

Colson finally shut his mouth. He swallowed hard and answered, shying away from looking into Marshall's eyes, "Yeah, um, I'm good, I guess."

They sat in silence for a while, Marshall staring at the younger and Colson doing everything but look at his elder.

"So, why are you here?" asked Colson, in a quiet voice, hoping the rapper didn't think he was asking because he didn't want him there. Marshall knew it was just nervousness so he smiled and said "Couldn't sleep. Why are you here?" 

Colson smiled as well, Marshall had succeeded in putting him at ease. "I like coming here, figured I might focus on my songwriting better. Guess I fell asleep, huh?"

"Have you been sleeping well?" The concern in the older man's voice was evident and it made Colson's heart beat faster. 

He shook his head no. Lately he'd been tired all the time but incapable of falling asleep. He worried that his next album wouldn't be good enough because he'd be singing instead of rapping. 

"Can I...?" Marshall pointed at his notebook and when Colson nodded he dragged it closer to him. Most of the words had been scribbled over and were unreadable. The only lines that were still clear were «In my head I'm laying naked with you», «I can't hide how I feel about you» and «I'd give everything up tonight if I could just have you».

Marshall recognized the lyrics were from 'Bloody Valentine'.

"I'm guessing this is recent?" 

Colson blushed and looked down. "Yeah, I was just, thinking about something."

Marshall laughed. "Something, or someone?"

He didn't think it was possible, but at his comment, Colson got even more red. There it was, the feeling that his heart was bursting. It took every ounce of control for Marshall not to just lean across the table and kiss the blushing man.

"I've been...weird today. I don't know why."

"Come on Kelly, the way your blushing tells me you know exactly why."

Marshall loved the fact that he was completely in control of the situation. He could tell, despite his shyness, Colson was still comfortable, and he was closer and closer to finding out if he'd had a similar affect on Kells that he'd had on him. 

Colson didn't answer Marshall, but instead asked, "What was that this morning?"

"I didn't want to interrupt you and your daughter and by the time you'd seen me there was a swarm of teenagers filming. Didn't want my first time meeting you to be like that."

"Oh. I've been wondering about that today.", he admitted.

Ah ha. There it was. Marshall was overjoyed at the way Colson had unconsciously found a way for him to bring the topic back. "So, does all that thinking have something to do with this?". He pointed at the notebook again and watched the younger man blush once more. There was his answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely gonna update again, next chapter is probably going to be the last or the second last one though. There's gonna be a lot of embarrassed and adorable Kells next chapter :)


End file.
